Continuing to support the alleviation of global shortage of medical and consumer personal protective equipment (PPE), Gerber Technology is now empowering manufacturers to accelerate PPE production by offering a PPE Retooling Package. The package includes an end-to-end suite of software and a specially configured PPE Edition Gerber Paragon cutter with optimised cutting parameters that allow manufacturers to produce up to 150,000 medical gowns and 6 million non-medical masks per week. The package also includes PPE patterns, tech packs, and a regulatory consulting package for rapid conversion of conventional sewn goods production to PPE. The Gerber PPE Retooling Package will help manufacturers seamlessly convert their supply chain allowing them to quickly, efficiently, and sustainably manufacture quality PPE.

“We are dedicated to making our customers successful in every way possible as they navigate through these unprecedented times, to save lives and jobs,” said Leonard Marano, Vice President of Product Management & Marketing for Automation Solutions at Gerber Technology. “Since PPE materials are technical and complicated to work with, we want to ensure our customers have everything they need to make their transition to PPE production as smooth, efficient, and fast as possible.”

Materials used for PPE are complex and often require several materials to be layered together to meet regulations and compliance. In order for manufacturers to successfully transition to efficient PPE production at scale, they will need to make significant changes to the setup of their workflow. The Gerber PPE Retooling Package will simplify the transition through a pre-packaged set of options including vacuum regulation and cutting parameters, essential spare parts, 2D/3D CAD and PLM software to ensure accuracy and efficiency, and support from Gerber’s knowledgeable experts. By leveraging the Gerber consulting package, retooling your production can take less than one week and results in less wasted material than ‘learning by doing’.

“Since March, we have helped over 1,200 companies worldwide optimise their supply chains for PPE production by providing production-ready patterns and files, sharing best practices and connecting our global network of manufacturers and suppliers,” said Michelle Steenvoorden, Vice President, Professional Services and Technical Lead on Gerber’s PPE Task Force. “We know exactly what it takes to produce high-quality, sustainable products that are effective, and help companies retool as quickly as possible for maximum impact.”

People all around the world are currently at high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the shortage of PPE for both medical and consumer use. Earlier this year, Gerber created the PPE Task Force and Manufacturer Matchmaking Program which is helping manufacturers produce 150+ million masks and several million gowns per week, saving hundreds of millions of lives and securing countless jobs around the world. The Gerber PPE Retooling Package will help further increase manufacturing capacity.